My First Marathon: Bournemouth Marathon Review

I decided to run the Bournemouth full marathon (26.2miles) on October the 2nd this year, for a number of reasons.

I love setting myself new, physical challenges and this was definitely a first for me

I decided to run the marathon in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association, in memory of my Uncle, Malcolm. (You can read more about it here.)

I had been building up to this mentally and physically, by starting off with 5k park runs, building up to my first 10k, then first half marathon. It only seemed fitting to complete the set with my first marathon.

The Route:
The course was relatively flat, so I would definitely recommend it for beginners. The run had some really lovely scenery along the way, including running down two piers, and along the sea front. Running towards the finish line with the sea on my right hand side, was spectacular. It was quite a hot day, which made it great for the spectators.

Around the 22 mile mark, I found it mentally hard to keep going, especially when I knew that I had to run back on the other side of the track on the way I had just been running on.

Motivation:

Armed with my running playlist which you can find here. A range of rock, pop and hip hop saw me through the long run.

I find that the crowd of supporters definitely help me, and the more I am cheered on it really helps me to mentally keep pushing on.

In addition, running alongside so many motivated and determined individuals really spurs you on to keep going

Running in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association gave the marathon even more meaning and I knew that I had to finish it, to prove my sponsors that I had it in me and that it was worth their while! In the end we managed to raise £300 for MND!

Race Feedback:

Feedback from the race from the race providers was fantastic. They send you an email with your provisional time, which is then confirmed a few days later. You are also sent a link to view all of the professional photos taken, along with a video of you crossing the finish line. Also, you will be able to see how fast you ran compared with the fastest and slowest in the race, along with your rankings for various categories including age and gender.

Overall I would definitely recommend this course for beginners and improvers alike. A positive, and scenic course with fantastic organisation and post-race feedback.